


Learn to Let Go

by Yoshi5138



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, One Shot, Post Season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27788764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yoshi5138/pseuds/Yoshi5138
Summary: Struggling to come to terms with her brother's death, Nya uses Cyrus Borg's newest device, transporting her consciousness into the Departed Realm in hopes of speaking with Kai one last time.
Relationships: Nya/Jay Walker
Comments: 21
Kudos: 11





	1. Learn to Let Go

**Author's Note:**

> Context: Kai died in the S3 finale like Zane because he rushed back out to try and save him. Nya goes to Borg Tower, because she heard that Cyrus created this device that lets you talk to the dead for however long you want. 
> 
> Obviously things don't go as planned.
> 
> This was an English assignment lmao, so it's not really the best I've written.

She walked to the small concealed alcove in the tiny blacksmith’s shop. Inside, was a picture of a teenage boy, smiling at the camera. The edges are jagged and rough, as it had been messily cut out from a bigger picture.

“Why did you do it?” she whispered. Her throat tightened and tears threatened to spill over. “Losing Zane was bad enough, I couldn’t lose you too.”

Her knees gave out and she sank to the floor. “I miss you, brother.”

************

“Just sit over here, Ms. Nya.” Cyrus Borg said, adjusting his glasses and peering at a console full of buttons and levers.

Nya sat down warily. Though she fully trusted Cyrus Borg, there was still that part of her that thought: _what if it doesn’t work?_

She glanced at the auburn-haired boy who stood beside her. There were circles under his eyes and an air of sadness surrounding his entire figure. 

“You’ll be fine,” Jay said. He held her hand as if reassuring her. It didn’t work. 

She wasn’t sure if it was because of the events that had happened, or if it was just because of nerves.

The process was simple. You sit in the chair and wear some sort of headphones that are connected to the console. Then, the machine will send you into a coma-like state and in that state, you can talk to the deceased. Their sensei, Wu, had been the first one to try it and it worked. He didn’t say who he talked to though. In fact, he didn’t speak much after returning from Borg Tower.  


Nya put the headphones on, which began to play some soothing music. She felt her eyelids droop, and her body slumped a bit. Jay almost rushed forward to help her before he remembered that she’s fine.

 _It’s only for a little while_ , he thought.

************

When Nya opened her eyes, she was back home in Ignacia, in her parents’ blacksmith shop. She was standing in front of the alcove that she’d created shortly after her brother’s death.

“Well what’d you know?” she said to herself. “It actually worked.”

“Of course it did. Cyrus Borg is a genius.”

Nya whirled around at the sound of the familiar voice. During the short time that she was alone, she had run scenarios and options on how to act if she really did manage to talk to her brother through her head. She wasn’t prepared at all for when or if it actually happened.

“Kai…” her voice cracked. “It worked. How did you--” The rest of her sentence was lost in a mix of crying and indistinguishable gibberish. She ran forwards and threw her arms around her brother, crying into his shoulder.

Kai hugged her tightly and stroked her hair gently. “Calm down, Nya. You’re ok,” he said soothingly. It was like when they were young, and he would comfort his sister after she had a nightmare.

He brushed away her tears and asked, “So, what do you want to talk about?”

************

Jay fiddled with his sleeves, a nervous habit of his. It’s been almost two days since Nya sat in that chair, and there wasn’t any sign that she was waking up. He’s worried that she might never wake up.

It seemed like worrying about other people is all that he did now. 

For the past year and a half, he worried about the reappearance of the Overlord, a virus that managed to escape the digital world. Then, there was the whole mess with the Perfect-Match console, a machine that supposedly told you who your soulmate is, which strained his and Nya’s relationship and practically destroyed his friendship with Cole. And now, he’s worried about whether she’ll wake up or not.

He really should stop worrying.

************

Jay visited her every day for the next week.

It’s usually the same. He walks in, checks to make sure that she’s doing ok, and then leaves. Sometimes, he would talk to her, even though he knows that she can’t hear him.

Today, however, was different.

He walked into the room as usual, and then went to check on Nya. “Nothing much happened today, Nya.” he said. “There was only--” He stopped, and noticed something. He immediately ran out.

“Dr. Borg!” he shouted, running through the many hallways in Borg Tower. The whole time he was praying to all the gods that it wasn’t real, and that he only imagined it. After getting lost three times, he finally found Cyrus Borg in one of the rooms, fixing a circuit board.

“Ah, hello, Jay!” he said cheerfully. “What brings you here?”

“It’s Nya.” he gasped, trying to catch his breath.

“Yes, Nya is doing fine, her vitals are stable, and she’s--”

“No, it’s not that!” Jay exclaimed. He paused and backtracked his thoughts. “Wait, no it is.”

“What do you mean?” Borg asked. “What could be wrong with her?”

“She’s not breathing!”


	2. Where My Demons Hide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years have passed since Nya's death, and it's Day of the Departed. As the other ninja head off to the Museum of Ninjago History to celebrate the holiday, Jay stays behind and hopes that he is able to finally let go of the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I like to think that S4, 5 and 6 (though 6 technically doesn't exist) all happened within the course of two years, give or take. This is the DotD "epilogue", and will be the final part of this "mini series" I guess.
> 
> What happens after the end of the chapter is up for interpretation.

“We’re going to the museum, Jay!” Cole exclaimed, opening the door to the room of his best friend. Jay sat on his bed, his back facing toward the ghostly ninja. “Uhh, Jay? Are you coming?”

Jay looked down at the piece of paper clutched in his hands; a picture that was taken at Mega Monster Amusement Park, after he had unlocked his true potential and saved Nya from that broken rollercoaster. She wasn’t looking at the camera, like he was in the picture, she was looking at him. A look of adoration and a loving smile etched on her face, her dark eyes sparkling with happiness. He smiled sadly and traced a finger across the paper, as if reminiscing about the times where things hadn’t gone so wrong. 

Then Jay looked at Cole, his once bright eyes dull and devoid of emotion. “Maybe later,” he muttered. “You go ahead. I can catch up with you guys...maybe.”

Cole sighed, knowing that Nya’s death had been unexpected, as had Kai’s. But out of all of them, Jay had been the most affected. For the first week, he stayed in his room and only left to eat, at the insistence of the others. After a month, Jay didn’t hide away as much as he did previously, but he still didn’t talk much. And even now, two years after her passing, Jay would sometimes still drift off into a daydreaming state of mind whenever one of the Smith siblings’ names were mentioned.

“I can get the others to wait--” he started, but he let his sentence trail off when the blue ninja shook his head. “Okay then…see you later?” He gave Jay a smile in hopes of cheering him up. It didn’t work.

“Yeah,” Jay echoed. “Later.”

************

The Master of Lightning wasn’t sure how long he laid on his bed, with the lights dimmed and curtains drawn, but when he finally left his room, he realized the sun had set almost completely.

 _Great going, Jay_ , he scolded himself. _You wasted another day…again_.

Jay made his way through the Bounty, almost calling out for his friends when he remembered that they all went to the Museum of Ninjago History. Even Sensei Wu and Misako had gone, leaving him as the only person aboard the ship.

 _Oh right_ , he thought with a sigh. _It’s Day of the Departed_.

In the past, Jay loved celebrating Day of the Departed. And after he joined the ninja team, he went from celebrating with his parents only, to including his friends and Sensei Wu in the festivities as well. There were so many things to look forward to on this day; the costumes, the candy, and of course, Day of the Departed lanterns that were believed to guide lost loved ones back to you.

He debated if he should follow his friends and celebrate the holiday with them, and maybe even get a lantern or visit his parents, but decided against it. He would just end up making himself even more depressed than he already was and he didn’t want that to happen.

So he remained where he was, sitting at the empty dining table in the Bounty’s boathouse, deep in thought.

************

Jay hadn’t even realized he had fallen asleep until he was suddenly awoken by a loud crash from somewhere inside the Bounty.

With a groan, he rubbed his eyes and made his way slowly through the ship. He managed to find his nunchucks in his confused and tired state and held them in his hands with no particular intention of using them.

 _It’s probably just Cole or Lloyd messing around_ , he grumbled to himself silently.

“It’s not funny guys!” Jay called out in a ‘I’m-tired-and-I-have-no-time-for-your-crap’ tone. “Seriously, if you broke the backup generator again, I’m not fixing it this time! Get Nya--” He choked on his words and continued walking in silence.

As he walked, Jay felt someone grab his arm.

He groaned and whirled around, slow and uncoordinated, but he managed to shake off whoever it was and let a small bolt of lightning appear in his palm. “Seriously guys? I--” His jaw dropped when he realized he was face to face with Samukai, the leader of the skeleton army he and his friends had fought so many years ago.

“Hello Jay,” the skeleton grinned, his red eyes glowing in the light of Jay’s lighting. A large battle axe was gripped in Samukai’s bony hand, the blade rusted and glowing with an unnatural green tint.

Jay was confused. Samukai was supposed to be dead, vapourized by the energy of the Four Golden Weapons. Why was he here? And why did he only seek out Jay, and not the other ninja? However, the sight of Skulkin General, no matter how strange it was, still brought back so many memories for the blue ninja; when he did Spinjitzu for the first time, when he received the Nunchucks of Lightning, when…he and the rest of the team saved Nya from the clutches of the skeletons.

He felt an uncomfortable tug in his chest; a small spark that gradually burned brighter until he could hold it back no more. With a scream of rage and despair, the negative feelings and emotions he had been suppressing for the past two years finally made itself known.


End file.
